Letters
LETTERS
Cruiser Wars, continued
It appears that most motorcycle enthusiasts, especially Harley types, need a brief lesson in motorcycle history and general knowledge.
The V-Twin that Harley holds so near and dear was used on Indians two years before Harley. “Fat Bob” gas tanks were another catch-up for Harley; Indian introduced the rounded-style tanks in 1934, two years before Harley. Most “cruiser” styling is rooted in British machines: AJS, Matchless, Triumph and Vincent. In fact, the British invasion is what led to the development of the Sportster.
I see all too many Harley riders who bash Big Four motorcycles, then get into their Toyota pickups or Honda Accords. Enjoy what you ride and be tolerant of what someone else rides.
As for me, I ride a ’47 Indian, an ’84 Harley Super Glide, and I have a 1997 Honda Valkyrie on order.
Joseph Joyal
Willow Springs, Missouri
The questionable attitude of Harley owners toward the new Vulcan Classic, Valkyrie 1500 and Royal Star is hardly unexpected. Anything indicative of high technology, superb quality and graceful American styling would tend to be threatening to the orangeand-black crowd.
But by all means, I hope Harley riders will continue to buy rolling relics of American motorcycle history, new and old, as it will keep my H-D stock stable. Jim Martin
Jacksonville, Florida
I can understand why Harley riders love their American-made machines. I don’t understand their criticism of equally fine Japanese motorcycles. Are Harley fans under the impression that Harley-Davidson invented the cruiser-style motorcycle? In my experience, most of the custom styling features of the modern cruiser came from the independent motorcycle customizers of the ’60s and ’70s. Should Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki be condemned for borrowing styling from American products? If so, then so should Ford for its Escort and Aspire, Chevy for its Sprint, and all the other American auto manufacturers whose base models are almost identical to the base models of the Japanese, who perfected the compact car.
By the way, I ride a Beemer-the only “real” motorcycle.
Daniel L. Hebb
Newport Beach, California
Your readership is becoming laughably predictable and painfully thinskinned. When you run your cruiser articles, I know that every chromeplated, candy-lacquered, leatherfringed, potato-headed cruiser weenie will write you to whine about how you
overlooked or denigrated his/her ride.
If only you could get these two basic tenets of motorcycling across to them:
1) Does it have two wheels and a gasoline motor? 2) Go back to 1.
Maybe this would help them get their shorts out of a bunch and learn to conduct themselves as motorcyclists instead of insecure wannabes.
Rick Sommerfrucht Evergreen, Colorado
It would be easy to stereotype Harley riders as emotionally insecure and immature, but I suspect that the opinions published recently in your Letters section don’t represent the many Harley riders who are riding enthusiasts, and who respect and appreciate other enthusiasts as a matter of course. Attacks by angry Harley defenders become benign when we consider that they are not from riding enthusiasts, but from people who are using large pieces of machinery placed between their legs to bolster their egos. Need I say more?
In the end, it won’t matter what we rode, but what we got from the experience. David J. Lamb
Media, Pennsylvania
Mighty is the wrath of the Japanese cruiser fans when they feel attacked by the “Harley cartel.”
I would like to step forward and speak for the great masses of people who ride Harleys. My demographics probably make me “the average Harley owner.” I have no skin art, no police record, my wife doesn’t like to be called “old lady” and I have all my teeth. This, my friends, is what typical Harley riders are like. Most of us aren’t sadistic outlaws or power-lunching yuppies. I live for Daytona’s Bike Week, but also enjoy watching roadrac> ing and I’m a veteran cornerworker.
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Having established my credentials, let me say that the average Harley rider doesn’t care what other people ride, only that they ride. Although we are very proud to be Americans, it has less to do with our choice in motorcycles than you think. We are aware that if you strip all the foreign parts off a Harley, you can’t ride it. Big deal. Take all the foreign DNA from our nation’s gene pool, and you’re left with eight million Native Americans-and two Vikings who snuck in somehow.
Ben “Potato Head” Corley Ferrum, Virginia
Freaks-R-Us
Motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcycles! I have motorcycles in my garage. I have a picture of my motorcycles on my desk at work (but I don’t have a picture of my woman). I dream about motorcycles at night. When I am driving in my car and see someone else on a motorcycle, I feel jealous. I go around telling others about how great it is to own a motorcycle. I believe God rides a motorcycle. I subscribe to no less than four motorcycle-related periodicals, so when I am not riding my motorcycle, I am reading about them. My motorcycles go to the shop every year for the very best of care, but I myself have not seen a doctor in decades. I clean my motorcycles with a cotton swab. I think everyone should own a motorcycle. I consider myself a perfectly normal freak.
Charlie Warfied, Jr. Naperville, Florida
Garage fever
After a winter of work problems, money problems and girlfriend problems, I felt like I was losing it. That is, until today.
First gear...accelerate...redline (front tire raised toward the heavens, eyeballs flat in the back of my skull)...shift...second gear...accelerate...redline (front tire again, eyeball thing)...shift...third gear... 100 mph. On a ZX-l l, that’s all it took to reach a state of supreme consciousness and self-awareness. I thank God for life once again! Christopher Corbett
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Spring didn V come ci second too soon, eh Corbett? □
